It is now apparent that True Blood throws you back to where the previous episode left you, which is kind of refreshing. In the past with drama series’, we usually have to build up the new episode to gain momentum, but True Blood is fresh and new and throws you back to full pace at the start of each episode.

Last week we saw Sookie arriving at Bill‘s. She was faced with three very different vampires, who were quite scary looking! (They remind me of what I used to imagine vampires were like) They try to “glamor” Sookie to which she responds “it doesn’t work on her”. The vamps are taken by surprise, wanting to know why, and Sookie answers honestly: she doesn’t know why.

The three vamps eventually let Sookie into the house after she explained that she had some business to attend to with Bill. Sookie walked in to Bill‘s home only to find two scantily dressed humans waiting for their “masters”.

The vamps are crude and you see a tougher Sookie come into play. As we are are already aware from previous episodes, Sookie is not one to discuss sex or anything around that topic. You could tell Sookie was scared, but she stood up for what she believed in. They commented about how good she smells and that they can tell she is a virgin. Just as the vampires attempt to feed on Sookie, Bill jumped up, shouting “STOP! Sookie is MINE!” The vamps reluctantly obeyed Bill‘s orders and backed away.

One of the vamps offered the male human (Jerry) for Bill to feed on, to which Bill agrees. As he is about to bite the human, Sookie hears the human’s malicious thoughts; he has “Hep D”.Sookie shouted “STOP!! he has Hep D” Bill stopped and the human pounce on Sookie and try to strangle her, but Bill broke Jerry’s hand and pushed him away. The other vamps grabbed Jerry and head out but one of the vamps wanted to know how Sookie knew about Jerry, however, Bill communicated with Sookie, letting her know not to say anything and the other vamps swiftly disappear.

Once they have gone, Bill apologized to Sookie for her encounter with the other vampires. Sookie asked Bill what Hep D is and Bill explained it as the only human disease that can affect vampires. Hep D is harmless to humans but weakens vampires for about a month, it makes them weak, and easier to stake.

Sookie then asked Bill what on earth he meant when he said to the others that she was his. Bill explained that he was communicating with the others to let them know that he was the only one who could feed on her. Sookie was appalled and said that he “most certainly cannot” feed on her. However, had he not said what he had said, Sookie would have been fair game.

Sookie was angry with everything that she had encountered that evening. She explained to Bill that she found some contractors that have agreed to see Bill after dark. When she told Bill that she had to go home, Bill asked Sookie if he may kiss her good night. She refused, explaining that she “couldn’t stand it after them”.

Meanwhile, Tara and Sam as they finished their shift at the bar, they started to have a heart to heart. Tara knew that Sam was in love with Sookie and didn’t hold back when she asked why Sam has not made a move yet. Sam shot back at Tara about her love for Jason. It was like a tennis match between them, with comments being thrown back and forth.

Let’s not forget Jason, who we last saw tied to Dawn’s bed while she went to her shift at Merlotte’s. She returned home after her shift to find her bed empty. Dawn was then molested, and forced on to the bed by an oddly dressed man. Dawn, at first thinks its Jason, but the man explained in a Scream-esque telephone voice that Jason was his starter and he was coming back for main course with Dawn. While Dawn is in a state of terror about the situation, Jason revealed himself from the mask. When Dawn realized that it was Jason, she lashed out. Jason cheekily told Dawn it was foreplay and he ended up getting his way with her again!

All was not well, part way through their very erotic sex, Jason lost his erection. Jason, being Jason, was understandably very upset. Dawn told him it happens to everyone, but Jason assured her that it had never happened before. Dawn returned from putting some clothes on with a gun, telling Jason to get our of her house.

He thought that she was messing around until she fired a warning shot at the floor. Jason made a run for it, while the neighbors came out to witness the commotion. While fumbling to get into his truck, Jason yelled towards the street that Dawn is a “crazy bitch”.

Back to Tara and Sam, who continued their heart to heart. Tara suggest that they should sleep together. At first, Sam flatly refuses Tara, but after persuading himself, he agreed to have no strings sex with her.

Tara returned home after her raunchy night with Sam, only to be confronted by her drunk mother who hit her with an empty liquor bottle. Tara left with haste and head straight to Lafayette’s.

Although Lafayette was ‘busy’ with a state senate (who pretends to someone he isn’t), he lets Tara in and gave her some TLC and a little extra.

The episode then jumped back to Sookie working hard on her grandma’s garden. Sookie has kept herself busy, trying to figure out her dilemma of what to do over Bill. She was not sure whether to follow her heart or her head.

She headed over to Bill’s and sat outside; it was midday, while Bill was fast asleep (or whatever it is he does when its daylight!)

Sookie thoughts take over her, and she had a few ‘private moments’ before she was rudely interrupted by Sam calling her on the phone. Sookie was on her day off and she promptly told Sam that she was not coming in. However, all Sam wanted Sookie to do was to go and check on Dawn as she had not turned up for her shift. Sookie unenthusiastically agreed to go to Dawn’s.

Sookie arrived at Dawn’s, knocked more than once before inviting herself in. She walked in to find Dawn’s alarm clock still ringing. Sookie made her way to Dawn’s bedroom only to find Dawn sprawled across the bed….Dead.

So yet again True Blood leaves you hungry for more.

This episode had a lot going on. I didn’t think it was as fast paced as the previous episodes and I kind of missed seeing Bill! However, we did get to learn a little more about Sam, Jason, Tara, and Lafayette.

Last week we were left high and dry with a cliff hanger. The episode throws you back to where the last episode left us; it’s at full pace from the start. The Rattrays are beating Sookie, to within inches of her life, and the mysterious dog from the first episode reappears trying to distract the Rattrays, but one of them pulls a gun on the dog. Sookie makes a grab for the gunman, but something throws him up into the air and against the trees and slits his throat, closely followed by the remaining Rattray. You kinda guess that they are both dead.
You know it is Bill that has come to the rescue and he picks up Sookie, taking her to a secluded area, while she falls in and out of consciousness. He rests Sookie gently on the ground and Sookie explains that she cannot feel her legs. Bill then takes a bite from himself and tells her she must drink his blood. She refuses as she doesn’t want to become a vampire, however, Bill assures her that she won’t and he forces her to drink his blood before his wound heals. Sookie reluctantly drinks Bill‘s blood, and it turns into a very sensual moment. After the reluctance fades, you realize that she is enjoying it far, far too much.

She then loses consciousness, and the scene cuts to her waking up to see Bill licking blood off her forehead. Bill asks her “what are you” to which Sookie replies that she is a telepath. Bill asks if she can hear his thoughts but Sookie states that she can’t and that is why she likes him so much because it is so relaxing after a lifetime of hearing “blah, blah, blah.” As Sookie starts to move she realizes that she is healed. She is shocked and asks Bill if doctors know what “V juice” can do; he explains that it is indeed a secret between them. Whilst Bill is walking her back to her car, Sookie asks his age. Bill explains that he became a vampire in 1865, when he was just 30 ‘human years’ old. Sookie inquires about whether he was in the Civil War, which he confirms that he was. Sookie asks him to come and speak to her Grandma about the Civil War. Bill thinks about this for a moment and agrees to go because it will make Sookie happy. Bill arranges to visit Sookie the following day…after dark.

Meanwhile, Jason is being questioned by the police over Maudette’s murder. The police wait twelve hours before showing him a video that they have recovered of Maudette and him being particularly intimate, including a snippet of what happens when Jason leaves the scene. It shows Maudette is only playing dead and once Jason has left, she unhooks herself from the position she was in and turns the camera off. The police release Jason, and he goes straight to see Dawn (a waitress at Merlotte’s). All Jason wants is his way with yet another women, especially after the day he has had and, inevitably, gets what he wants! In the second episode you learn a little bit more about the various characters. You find out that Tara‘s mother is a drunk and that Tara hates living at home with her. She has her cousin Lafayette to call on when she doesn’t want to be at home. I really like Lafayette; he is a wicked character, he is fun, hilarious, and brings people out of their shells. I only hope we see more of him as the series progresses.

You also meet Sookie’s Grandma, who dotes on both her grandchildren as they are all she has left of her family and she is all Sookie and Jason have too. Sookie and her Grandma seem to have a special relationship. Sookie’s Grandma is very similar to Sookie in her acceptance of vampires and is very excited that Bill has agreed to talk to her about the Civil War. Bill arrives at Sookie’s; however, not only is he meeting Sookie’s Grandma, he also has the pleasure of meeting Jason and Tara, who are extremely rude to Bill. Sookie’s Grandma puts Jason firmly back in his place; she will not tolerate rudeness in her home. Bill agrees to talk at the church for Sookie’s Grandmas club.

With the acceptance of Sookie’s Grandma, Bill takes Sookie for a walk. Sookie pesters Bill with more questions. She wants to know what effects Bill’s blood will have on her, to which he explains that her senses will be heightened, as will her libido, and his ability to feel where Sookie is (he will even know if she is in trouble). Sookie demands that Bill try and work his magic in influencing her, but is surprised when he is unable to take control of her. They both accept each others special abilities and start walking again. Bill takes her to his home, and explains to Sookie that he is renovating the place and she offers a lending hand in helping to find contractors.

Bill then takes things a little further and is overwhelmed as he tells Sookie that that he can “smell the sunlight on your skin”. Sookie is so drawn to him and grabs onto to Bill and they kiss passionately until Bill‘s fangs make a sharp entrance and Bill pulls himself away from her. Bill is embarrassed about his fangs and decides to take Sookie home.

You really start to see that both characters are falling for each other when Sookie keeps having adult dreams about Bill. It’s clear that Bill is falling for Sookie as well; he understands that Sookie can only be herself around him because she cannot hear his thoughts.

The next scene between Sookie and Bill, Sookie arrives at Bill’s home to deliver the contractors details however, she is greeted not by Bill, but three not so friendly vampires, one of which looks strangely familiar.

What will happen to Sookie, will Bill save her again?

This was another cracking episode which left me scared for Sookie again; will the poor girl ever have an easy life?? We shall have to wait for the next installment of True Blood on Wednesday at 22:00 GMT on Channel 4.

With the roaring success vampires have been having recently with the massive international success of the first feature length installment of the Twilight Saga and the vampire fictional worlds growing ever stronger, it was no surprise that True Blood would be any different; in fact, it has been a huge phenomenon in the States. With the eagerly anticipated UK terrestrial channel arrival of True Blood on Channel 4 and its raunchy ad campaign (which had you begging for more) I, for one, waited with baited breath as True Blood landed on our screens last Wednesday. Within the first few minutes I was hooked with its catchy theme tune, which gets into your head and has you singing “I wanna do bad things to you” throughout the day (which to be honest is not a great thing in an office environment!!). The show itself is based in a small town called Bon Temps, Louisiana, where everyone knows everything. Sookie Stackhouse is the lead female character (played by Anna Paquin), and is an ordinary girl who works as a waitress in Merlotte’s Bar. Except she’s not so ordinary; she has a special power. She can hear peoples thoughts. Her gift is sometimes a hindrance: she has not been able to have a boyfriend, not for the want of trying, but she hates hearing what they want to do to her and what they think of her. Oh, and I should also mention that in this world vampires live amongst the humans, no longer in secrecy. They have their own rights, and no longer need to feed off mortals to sustain their needs; the new invention of Tru Blood, a synthetic blood, satisfies their nutritional needs. Sookie soon realizes that vampires cannot always take care of themselves. She ends up rescuing a vampire from the Rattrays (a pair of low-life trash) who are trying to drain him of his blood, which is very sought after by us mortals.

It all starts off with Sookie having a bad shift, her worse customers have arrived (the Rattrays). As Sookie puts it so very eloquently “no count, backwards, trash”. As always Sookie is polite and deals with them as she does with every other customer.

Her world is turned upside down when Merlotte’s gets its first resident Vampire coming into thew bar. Sookie knows straight away what he is; she has no preconceptions and dives straight in, head first to introduce herself. She doesn’t care what people think: she is intrigued by the vampire, and confused that she cannot hear his thoughts, however, she hears the Rattrays’ thoughts and knows there is going to be trouble.

But will Sookie’s rescue land her in trouble??

So with the Rattrays taken care of by Sookie‘s intervention and the vampire in debt to Sookie, he introduces himself as Bill Compton (played by Stephen Moyer). Sookie is amazed that she cannot hear his thoughts. She is at peace because for once she has no-one else’s thoughts to hear but her own! Sookie is not the only one who is taken by surprise; Vampire Bill is taken aback when Sookie refuses to take the blood that the Rattrays have drained. There is definitely something different and unique about her that he has not expereinced in a long time. Sookie says her goodbyes and cannot secretly wait to see him again.

Sookie has alot of people looking out for her, she has her brother Jason who is the complete opposite to Sookie and keeps his brain firmly in his trousers. I think secretly we all wish we could bottle what Jason has and bring it out every Saturday night; he is a bag of fun and is one hell of a ladies man. His heart is in the right place when it comes to family and he loves his sister dearly.

Then there is Sookie’s boss Sam Merlotte (the owner of Merlotte’s bar, funnily enough) who is constantly looking out for her. Except he has his own agenda, he is truly in love with Sookie. Despite being a supporter of the vampire rights amendment, he is not too keen on them coming into his bar, especially the ones who have a keen interest in Sookie!

Last, but by no means least, is Sookie’s childhood best friend Tara Thornton. She is the punch first, ask questions later kinda girl! She loves Sookie like a sister and just wants to protect her. All three do not want Sookie talking to Bill Compton; they are fearful for her and are afraid of change. They all think they know whats best for Sookie Stackhouse!

However, Sookie has a mind of her own. She arranges to meet Bill after her late shift at Merlotte’s. Bill thinks it’s a good idea to keep low as he does not want to rock the boat with the locals. He is already concerned that they are all talking about him. All Bill really wants is to fit in as best possible and live as much as a normal life as a vampire can lead.

Sookie leaves the bar at the end of her shift and gets into a spot of bother, to which point the episode leaves you high and dry!

Will Bill get to Sookie in time to save her……..

To sum up True Blood in five words (I could not narrow it down to three) would be, exciting, fun, sexy, different and down right RUDE! (I know its a little more than 5 words but it just had to be said!)

The opening episode of True Blood had me craving for more, it is probably one of the best openings to any series and I cannot wait to see episode 2 on Wednesday 2200GMT on Channel 4.

Thanks to the great folks at Resonate UK and FXUK for providing their publicity tour interviews and ads for True Blood in the UK so that the Americans and those outside the UK can enjoy them! Today we’re presenting a radio interview done on Rock Radio Manchester News radio program, by Mike Sweeney and Alex Fox editor of ‘Weird World’ section of Bizarre Magazine again.

Thanks to the great folks at Resonate UK and FXUK for providing their publicity tour interviews and ads for True Blood in the UK so that the Americans and those outside the UK can enjoy them! Today we’re presenting a radio interview done on the BBC radio 4 program, Front Row on July 16th, 2009 done with Diane Roberts an American southern critic.

Chris Schulz from Stuff.co.nz reviewed“True Blood: The Complete First SeasonDVD” which was recently released in New Zealand. Mr. Schultz states that True Blood is “BLOODY GOOD: Season one of True Blood is addictive, compelling viewing.” He gave our favorite show 4 stars and also doesn’t hurt that Anna Paquin(Sookie Stackhouse) is a New Zealand native which he of course mentions in his article. Looks like Mr. Schulz has become addicted. As Mr. Schulz kindly put it:

“Season two has already started screening in America. Let’s hope it’s not too far away from New Zealand screens, as True Blood is as addictive as human blood is to vampires.”

“Look, it’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “No, it’s Vampire Bill… to the rescue!!!” Okay, so that was cheesy, but the opening scene to episode two of True Blood was not.

The Rattrays and Sookie

We begin where we left off… Sookie has been attacked by Mac and Denise Rattray in the Merlotte’s parking lot, and they are beating and kicking her to death (while making out passionately and declaring their love for one another. Let me just take this moment to say, “ick”). Her trusty Watch Dog Collie is there to bark and growl at the villains; however, it’s Sookie who has to try to save the silly dog from being shot by Mac. She grabs hold of Mac’s leg and is about to pull it out from under him when out of nowhere a speeding blur lifts him into the air and throws him against a tree. The blur returns a second later to finish the job and kill Mac. A scared Denise looks around in terror, but is unable to save herself. She is thrown in the air and lands across the parking lot with a decidedly final thump. (Good riddance!) Sookie watches on in pain, passing out just before her rescuer’s booted foot steps near, and his pale hand reaches down to gently cup her battered face.

I just want to comment quickly on the opening credits, which I failed to mention during my previous recap. I totally love the opening credits! Rather than show us random clips from the show and sweet headshots of the actors (so overdone), they give us a look into the radical side of the south. To the very country sounding song Bad Things by Jace Everett, we see swamp lands, church prayers, and bar drinking mixed with, smoke, dead animals, and a lovely sign declaring “GOD HATES FANGS.” From an outsider’s perspective, anyhow, they’ve captured the essence of the south with a clever, slightly exaggerated accuracy.

But now back to the actual show… Sookie wakes up as Bill, her rescuer, is carrying her through the woods. He takes her to a private place, lays her down, and starts to examine how badly she’s injured. After she coughs up blood and tells him she can’t feel her legs, Bill bites his wrist open and tells Sookie to drink his blood. Fearing it will turn her into a vampire, she hesitates, but Bill forces his wrist into her mouth. She spits it out at first, and then starts to devour the popular liquid drug like it’s the most amazing thing she’s ever tasted. The vampire watches on with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

The scene breaks here, and when it comes back, Bill is licking the blood from Sookie’s forehead. This scene has made my list of one of the most romantic vampire scenes ever! Usually you just see a vampire feed by biting a victim, which is very hot as well, but this scene ranks right up there. It’s so elemental, so carnal. And then he looks, not embarrassed, but almost a little shy about what he’s done as his tongue darts out to lick any remaining blood from his lips and stares down at Sookie. Her blood tastes different from other humans, he says, and she tells him she’s a telepath. He’s taken aback and looks quite worried that she can hear his thoughts, but she explains to him that she can’t. That’s why she likes him so much. He’s curious how she can manage a social life with men her own age, and she tells him she doesn’t date. (I really like the guy she went out with who wanted to marry her so he could stop having fantasies about Matt Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Unfortunately, Sir, I can tell you now… being married does not stop fantasies about Jake Gyllenhaal.) After chatting for a while, Sookie realizes she’s completely healed, and Bill asks her not to tell anyone that vampire blood has that power.

He walks her to her car, and she asks him if he would speak to her grandmother’s Civil War group. He agrees and asks, “When may I call on you?” (What a gentleman?! As I’ve stated before, I really love old vampires with their manners and formality.) They set a date for the following night, and Bill disappears while Sookie’s back is turned.

At the same time this is happening, Jason is at the police station with Sheriff Dearborn and Andy Bellefleur being questioned about the murder of Maudette Pickens. They are showing him a tape they found at Maudette’s home, featuring her and Jason with Jason’s hands tight around her neck. When her body is limp afterwards, Jason runs out, thinking he’s killed her. The video goes on to show Maudette laughing at him and turning off the camera. I can’t help thinking “Poor Jason” during this scene. In fact, I think I will probably always refer to him as Poor Jason in my head. For all his womanizing, he’s really so simple and innocent. He tells them about the tape of Maudette with the tattooed vamp, but Bud and Andy didn’t find any other tapes. When they accuse Jason of leaving only this tape to prove his innocence, after going back to kill Maudette later, he adorably advises them, “I’m not that smart!” We know, Jason sweetie, but you’re gorgeous, so we’ll forgive you. After being released from the police station, Jason goes straight to Dawn’s house. Feeling sorry for him, she listens to his story and ends up sleeping with him. And I have to say, I really enjoyed this scene much more than the one between Jason and Maudette. Especially towards the end when Jason points at himself in the mirror as if to say, “That’s right, big buy, you’re back in the game!” His high is short lived, however, when he wakes to find old fang marks on Dawn’s neck.

The next morning, Sookie is eating breakfast and watching a debate between Reverend Theodore Newlin, Fellowship of the Sun, and Nan Flanagan, American Vampire League. They are discussing vampire rights, and Rev. Newlin refuses to speak directly to Ms. Flanagan, saying his “commitment to Christ Jesus, praise his name… compels me not to recognize her kind!” Nan Flanagan is clearly not happy with this, and the debate ends. I think adding the Fellowship of the Sun, the religious aspect of the vampire rights debate, was genius. It makes the show very realistic. While eating breakfast, Sookie notices that the sausage tastes “more complex” and goes into detail about being able to see the farm where the pig was raised on and tasting the earth the herbs were grown in (which I think is a little gross. I really don’t want to taste earth, i.e. dirt, while eating sausage). She realizes this is caused by the vampire blood she drank the previous night.

Tara and Jason arrive (separately, of course. Poor Tara) and Gran gets a call telling her that the Rattray’s trailer has been hit by a tornado and they were found dead inside. Realizing what must have happened, Sookie rushes to the scene to see the extent of Bill’s work. Sheriff Dearborn and the new Parrish Coroner, Mike Spencer, show up and question her about Bill. Due to the lack of destruction in the vicinity around the trailer (after all, “tornadoes hop”), they think something else happened. After defending her vampire, Sookie storms away, angry at the prejudice against the undead. And I don’t know about any of you, but Mike Spencer really creeps me out!!! Sookie seems to have something against the coroner/funeral director who buried her parents, but it’s not entirely obvious to me. Maybe we’ll learn something in the future…

Later that evening, just after dark, Sookie is at home preparing for her evening with Bill. She’s piqued that Jason and Tara decided to invite themselves over to meet her date, but she doesn’t dwell on it. When Bill arrives we learn that vampires can’t enter a mortal’s home unless they’ve been invited inside. After making sure she can rescind the invitation at any time (in a teasing way, of course), she lets him into the house to meet her family. Bill speaks to everyone about his past, regaling the group with his memories of the Stackhouse family. Tara is offended when she learns that Bill’s father owned slaves (I thought he handled this controversial conversation quite well, especially since he understands a little better now what it’s like to be a minority.), and Jason’s protests about Sookie taking a walk with Bill are overruled by Gran. After Sookie and Bill leave, Tara tries to bond with Jason, telling him she understands he only wants Sookie to be safe, and it works until Jason remembers he has to pick up Dawn from work. (Oh, Tara… I so wish you would move on!)

Bill and Sookie

During their walk, Bill answers Sookie’s questions about being a vampire and what effect his blood will have on her. He tells her that he can glamour, or hypnotize, people, but when he tries it on her (after she calls him a chicken for not wanting to) she is immune. They walk through the cemetery and stop in front of Bill’s home. He explains he’s been doing repairs on his own, but needs an electrician. Unfortunately he can’t get one to call him back. Sookie offers to call around and stop by his home the following evening to tell him who to call.

And on to romantic scene number two in this episode! After asking for permission (What a gentleman?!), Bill runs his fingers through Sookie’s hair and smells her neck. “I can smell the sunlight on your skin.” He says with longing and an inner torture. He leans into her, and it seems like he might be planning to kiss her (He was probably going to ask for further permission.), when Sookie has had enough of waiting. She reaches up and pulls his mouth to hers. The kiss is passionate and takes Bill a little off guard. He’s unable to stop his reaction (extended fangs) so he turns away from her. He offers to take her home and she agrees. If he did that to me, I’d probably tell him to bite me… literally!

The next day, Dawn leaves Jason tied to her bed when she goes to work. She promises him she’ll be home by midnight. He’s quite upset, but I’m sure if he takes a second, he’ll realize that the way the headboard is set up, he’d have no trouble getting untied on his own. At Merlotte’s, Sookie waits on a table full of college-aged kids who’ve been drinking. When she’s walking away one of the guys, who’d been thinking some very nasty things about the telepath, grabs her backside. Before she can do anything, Rene has the guy pinned to the table. He makes the guy apologize and tells the kids to eat somewhere else. When they leave, Rene tells Sookie he wants to keep Merlotte’s a nice place, and she reminds him of his baby sister. He hopes someone would look out for his sister if some creep tried to hit on her like that. (I just love Rene! And his accent is kind of sexy.) A little flustered by what happened, she goes to the back hallway and Sam asks her to speak with him in his office. Sookie tells him a little about her “gift,” confirms that she can’t hear the vampire’s thoughts, and when he tells her she can listen to his (“You might be surprised what you hear”), she explains she doesn’t want to know. Sorry, Sam, I don’t think any of us would be surprised by what you want her to hear! She goes back to the bar and hears on the news that Rev. Theodore Newlin, Fellowship of the Sun leader, is dead. He, his wife, and small child, were killed in a car accident.

Sookie arrives at Bill’s to see an unfamiliar vehicle in the drive. The license plate reads, “FANGS1” and the bumper stickers say, “Vampire’s Suck!” and “Honk if you’re a blood donor!” She is clearly nervous, but gathers her nerve and heads to the door. It swings open and there is a female vampire at the door, shortly accompanied by a male vampire. When she asks for Bill, they don’t let her in immediately and their fangs extend. She realizes she’s in trouble and turns to leave, but there is a second male vampire, the tattooed one from Maudette’s tape, and he has extended fangs and a bloody mouth. An interesting thing that the show does is dress the vampires for different time periods, showing us when that vampire was made a vampire.

I love how the show always leaves us at an exciting end! Sure, I’m gnawing at the bit to find out what’s going to happen next, but isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?! Thanks for reading!

Sookie Stackhouse isn’t your normal waitress. With an unwanted ability to hear people’s thoughts, being in a room full of people can really be a headache! Enter Bill Compton, a 173-year-old vampire who just wants to fit in. With his lack of brain waves, spending time with Vampire Bill is the “peace and quiet” Sookie so desperately wants.

In the series opener, we learn that vampires exist, and with the Japanese invention of synthetic blood, which satisfies a vampire’s nutritional needs, humans need not fear. An action-packed, comedic gem among so many dark, melodramatic vampire tales, True Blood is a breath of fresh air.

HBO True Blood

What I like most about the story is how real it is. If vampires were to “come out of the coffin” in real life, I imagine their struggle for equality and their battle with themselves to “mainstream” would be similar to what we see on the show. As when other minority groups fight for their rights, the vampires must stand tall against religious organizations, human prejudices, and people’s desire to exploit them.
True Blood has one of the best acted ensembles, with tons of chemistry, since Friends (And if you didn’t like Friends, you have to at least admit that the actors were talented and worked amazingly well together). It’s refreshing to watch a show and get so engrossed in the characters that you forget they’re not really related, or they’re not really best friends, or they’re not really in love (well, maybe they are…)

The opening scene was a very effective hook. We learn right away about the Vampire Movement, TruBlood, and that V-Juice (Vampire Blood) is the hottest new drug on the underworld market. And I love how they threw in fellow HBOer Bill Maher. Of course, I imagine he’d be all for Vampire Rights. It was interesting that they gave us the stereotypical vampire who turned out to be a redneck and then the redneck turned out to be the real vampire. Right away I thought, “This is not a typical vampire show.”

The first scene with Sookie was done very well. And it’s a real treat to hear the thoughts going through the heads of her customers. Her penchant for reminding everyone that she doesn’t like “nasty talk” or curse words is amusing. Overall, Sookie is a very likable character.
By far, however, my favorite character is Lafayette Reynolds. He’s comic relief in an already hilarious show. The part where they’re having the sex talk, and Sookie is looking on in a combination of fascination and disgust, was utterly brilliant. The first meeting of Tara Thornton was also a very humorous scene. I had tears coming out of my eyes when she put the inquisitive, irritating customer in her place. And then threatening to sick her Baby Daddy on the boss… what a riot! The other side characters are all very stereotypical “Southern Folks,” but done so well, you can’t help but love their place in this world.

The scene with Jason Stackhouse and Maudette Pickens is probably my least favorite. (Although, as a General Hospital fan, it was nice seeing Graham Shiels as the tattooed vampire on the video.) I just thought the scene was very overdone with cheesy dialogue.
I was very happy with the introduction of Vampire Bill. Everything goes quiet as Sookie feels his presence. She turns, and they stare at each other longingly as the dramatic music plays in the background. Then the music stops and Sookie sounds like an excited school girl when she proclaims, “I think Merlotte’s just got its first vampire!” Can’t have anything too dramatic on such a fun show.

I think my favorite thing about vampires is that they tend to be decades and centuries old, so they have old fashioned ways about them. Bill is obviously no exception. Even when the Rattrays are an unwelcome interruption to his meeting with Sookie, he still tells them “Good Evening.” What a gentleman?! I was a little disappointed with him, though, when he left with Mac and Denise after Sookie told him not to go!

But the resulting scene with superhero Sookie was well worth it! With barely any fear, she runs to the rescue of the silly vampire who let his bloodlust nearly get him killed (well, I guess killed again)! I like that Sookie isn’t scared of Bill. Right away she decides he’s good, despite his undead status. And poor Bill just doesn’t know what to think of this fearless waitress who risks her life to help him.

Sookie and Bill

Anna Paquin’s and Stephen Moyer’s chemistry is undeniable in this scene. Normally the leading pair’s first scenes in a television show are awkward and unbelievable, but other than the joking-about-his-name bit (where she might have forgotten her line?) it went very smoothly. Right away they made my list of sexiest couples on TV! Of course, is there any girl alive who could be immune to Stephen Moyer’s mysterious good looks and hot-as-hell grin? I was very sorry that the dream sequence in Sookie’s backyard turned out to be an actual dream sequence and not real, and then cut off so quickly!
I think Tara needs a good kick in the rear for mooning over the womanizer Jason. She either needs to get over it or make a move (I doubt he’d turn down any woman, really). I like Tara’s and Sam Merlotte’s easy manner and witty banter. Of course, with Sam, she has to compete with his crush on Sookie, which could get awkward.

There’s not much for me to say about Adele Stackhouse. She’s a straightforward, loving grandmother. It is a bit of a shock to have that familiar, lovable character so comfortable with the conversation about a vampire, though. Then she gets all giddy to meet him and learn about the Civil War from someone who was there. If only in real life… And I find it adorable that she stays up late at night reading paperback novels. I will probably be just like her at that age! She was particularly adorable when she was learning about fang bangers and prostitutes who serve johns of the undead variety. However, I think that conversation would be strange to have with one’s grandmother.
And although Jason is a sleazebag, his concern for his sister is endearing. I was ready for him to go lay down the law with the Rattrays. And I actually felt quite sorry for him when the news of Maudette’s murder was announced. Then he had to act so guilty when the police came to question him, so I felt even worse for him.

Probably my favorite scene in the whole show (with the exception of the Bill/Sookie scenes, of course) is when Lafayette and Tara interact with the man in overalls at the bar on the second night. Tara is incredibly funny when she’s going off on “stupid people,” and I actually believe that Lafayette would like to hook up with him. Following this is when Sookie learns about her brother being arrested and yells at Dawn Green, “I am not psychic!”

The last scene with Bill and Sookie gave me goose bumps. I was leaning into the TV hanging on every word and I was equally taken aback as Sookie was when Bill stood abruptly and left. It was a bit strange how she could jump from being so worried about her bother to being so engrossed with Bill. On second thought, maybe not so strange. Vampire Bill is quite hypnotic! But then I fell a little bit for Sam when he started yelling at Sookie about being a vigilante, and then he comforted her when she started to cry. And I just love how he calls her “cher.” When Sookie yelled at both Sam and Tara to shut up when they weren’t saying anything, just thinking, I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

The final scene of the show was brutal. It really brought home my hatred of the Rattrays. Every kick was so realistic and the blood splatter made me cringe!
All and all, I was very impressed with the first episode of True Blood. It was unique and fresh, and left me desperate for more!

Sookie finds a connection to the murders in Bon Temps. Jason finds a new goal in life. Bill tempts fate, continuing to find a way to rescue Sookie from harm. Sam is troubled by a familiar face from his past.

In the season finale, Sookie finds a link to the string of killings in Bon Temps–and ends up in the murderer’s vicious crosshairs. Tara decides to make the most of her second chance with Maryann; Jason finds a new calling after an anti-vampire zealot named Orry visits him in jail; Bill tempts fate during his latest attempt to save Sookie; Sam is perturbed by an encounter with an old acquaintance; Lafayette finds himself at the wrong place at the right time. (TVMA) (AC,AL)

Bill and Eric come out of the tribune astonished over Jessica. Sookie and Sam visit a philandering police officer to get information behind the mystic visions. Jason and Amy ponder over their future. Lafayette decides to pay a state senator a visit on the campaign trail over his hypocracy. Sookie and Sam begin to get closer. Jason lands himself in trouble with the law.

Bill fulfills the conditions of the tribunal’s sentence, although he and Eric find that Jessica doesn’t quite turn (out) as expected. Trying to solve the mystery behind her most recent vision, Sookie heads to a pie shop with Sam and, later, puts the squeeze on a philandering police officer to get info. Jason helps clean up Amy’s mess, worrying about their future but unable to break away. Tara’s anger over Lettie Mae’s refusal to bail her out of jail is tempered when a wealthy “social worker,” Maryann Forrester, comes to her rescue. Disgusted by the hypocrisy of a vamp-bashing State Senator, Lafayette decides to pay him a firsthand visit on the campaign trail. In Bill’s absence, a vulnerable Sookie finds comfort with Sam. A distraught Jason finds himself in hot water with Bud and Andy, again. (TVMA) (AC,AL)